Roberta Harris was born in Passaic, New Jersey and grew up in Houston, Texas. She has lived in New York, Washington, D.C., and Santa Fe, New Mexico. She was chosen for the Independent Study Program, Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Harris studied at Parson's School of Design and Hunter College in New York. Her paintings and sculptures have been exhibited nationally and internationally and are included in numerous private and corporate collections including MTV Corporation, New York; Chase Manhattan Bank, New York; Frito-Lay Dallas, Texas; Dynegy, Houston, Texas; Compaq (Hewlett-Packard), Houston, Texas and Texas Heart Institute, Houston, Texas. Harris has instructed at Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Houston. She has been a visiting lecturer at the Kimbell Art Museum, Ft. Worth, Texas; Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico; Brookhaven College, Dallas, Texas; the University of Houston, Houston, Texas; the Menil Collection, Houston, Texas, and has served as an Advisory member of the Art and Architecture Panel, Texas Arts Commission; Houston Arts Festival; Cultural Arts Council of Houston and the Art League of Houston.
Recently, Harris was honored with a retrospective at the Women's Museum (an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution) in Dallas, titled ROBERTA HARRIS: "UP" 1985-2009. Harris lives and makes art in Houston, Texas.
Artist's Statement
For the past twenty years, in her painting, sculpture and collages, Roberta Harris has concentrated on symbols and forms that have been a universal part of culture since the beginning of time. Inspired by her interest in Surrealistic, Abstract and Primitive art, her compositions have freely combined simple shapes such as hearts, moons, flowers, birds and plants. These are co-mingled with human and geometric forms to represent the intertwining of all aspects of nature into a oneness . . . a spirited entity. The organization of these elements results from the interplay of their individual elements rather than a preconceived scheme. Her desire is to create images replete with a stimulating abundance of delight, humor and surprise. The sculptures and collages in particular, which are highly colored, are playful and exuberant constructions that have been described variously as primitive, passionate, naive, joyous, flirtatious, humorous and intuitive . . . all celebrating a sense of wonderment, creativity and the human spirit. "Throughout my career," Harris has written, "I have been inspired to create images that move the viewer up, physically, emotionally and spiritually." Her recent foray into designing the art that embellishes airplanes certainly continues that momentum.
View artist gallery
Online interview with Roberta Harris on iliveindallas.com
